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(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1. G. J. VAN DEPOELE, Decd.

G. A. COFFIN & A. WAHL, Executors. REGIPROGA'IING ELECTRIC ENGINE.

Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. O. J. VAN DEPOELE, Decd.

C. A. COFFIN & A. WAHL, Executors. REGIPROGATING ELECTRIC ENGINE.

No. 479,962. 4 tented Aug. 2, 1892.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. G. J. VAN DEPOELE, Decd.

G. A. Comm & A. WAHL, Executors. REGIPROGATING ELECTRIC ENGINE.

No. 479,962. Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

Swan/tom WWW Charles I EnDcpoeZ/e UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE, OF LYNN; C. A. COFFIN AND ALBERT \VAIIL, EXECUTORS OF SAID VAN DEPOELE, DECEASED, ASSIGNORS TO THE THOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHU- SETTS.

RECIPROCATING ELECTRiC ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 479,962, dated August 2, 1892.

Application filed September 19, 1890- Serial No. 365,546. (No model.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. VAN DE- POELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in lllultiple-Current Reciprocating Electric Engines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the let ters and figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in reciprocating electric engines, and is in part an improvement upon the apparatus described in my patent, No. 422,855, dated March 4,1 890.

Broadly considered, the invention comprises a reciprocating electric engine consisting of three, four, or more solenoids, through which a magnetic plunger is adapted to be axially reciprocated. The plunger may be hollow or solid and should be of magnetic material, the said material being laminated or otherwise subdivided, if preferred. Part of the motor-coils are constantly energized by a current which establishes and maintains unchanging poles, while the remaining coil or coils are supplied with currents of alternating polarity having a defined rise and fall. The plunger is magnetized by the last-named coils, so that its polarity is constantly reversed, causing it to move back and forth within the field of force in accordance with the reversal of its own polarity. I find that the speed of alternation may be from, say, two hundred to six hundred or even seven hundred reversals per minute, according to the size of the plunger and the length of stroke desired; but in order to produce effective work the alternating currents by which the plunger is magnetized must have a defined rise and fall, which I obtain by any of the means pointed out. in my prior patent or pending applications; but said currents cannot be confounded with the currents produced by the ordinary alternate-current electriclight machines, which are wholly unfit for use in connection with my invention. The arrangement of the motor-coils may be varied in a number of ways, some of which are pointed out in the drawings and will be hereinafter described in connection with various details of construction and arrangement.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the circuits and connections of one form of my invention, together with the method of supplying current to the coils of the engine. Fig. 2 is also a diagrammatic view, differing only from Fig. 1 in the arrangement of the circuits of the engine. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of a reciprocating engine, the current-supplying device and circuit being seen in diagram. Fig. 4. is a view resembling Fig. 3, but differing therefrom in the arrangement of part of the coils of the engine. Fig. 5isapartly-diagram matic view showing the current-generators in elevation and the engine in transverse sectional elevation. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional elevation of an engine, the source of current therefor and the circuits being in diagram.

In said drawings, C, Fig. 1, is a sectional commutator, which maybe part of a continuous-curretit-generating apparatus or a counter-electro-motive-force device, as shown and described in my patent, No. 2,855, dated March 4, 1890. P N are the stationary main commutator-brushes thereon, and R is a rot-ating brush arranged to be moved about said commutator, as set forth in my said patent. A B are motor-coils arranged at the two extremities of the engine, and said coils are connected in circuit with the main commutatorbrnshes by conductors 1, 2, and 3. The coils A B are so wound that poles of like name are maintained at their inner ends and opposite poles of like name at their outer extremities, as indicated by the signs. A central coil D is located midway between the coils A B. One end of the coil D is connected by conductors with the rotating brush R, while its other terminal is connected by conductor 5 with conductor 2, by which the continuous-current coils A B are united. As the brush It is moved around the commutator C current will flow through the conductor R and coil D first in one direction and then in the other, so that the polarity of the extremities of said coil will be reversed with each rotation of the brush R.

The magnetic plunger 1) is placed within and adapted to be reciprocated axially through the combined coils. It will be understood that since the current alternates in the central coil, which envelops the larger portion of the plunger 1), its ends will be magnetized alternately north and south, and it will be caused to reciprocate back and forth toward and away from the end coils of the machine, never, however, leaving the field of the central coil. The rcciprocations of the plunger will occur in strict accordance with the rate of alternations of current in the central coil.

Fig. 2 shows an engine similar to that just described, except that the extreme or end coils A B are so wound that they present their north and south poles in succession that is, that at the extreme end of the coils there will be a north pole at one end and a south pole at the other, as indicated by the signs. lVith this arrangement it becomes necessary to arrange the central coil so that there will be three poles, one in the center thereof, say north, while the two extremes of the said central coil D will be south, and vice versa, as the current is alternately reversed, maintaining all the time, however, two poles of same name at the extremities of said coil and also at the extremities of the plunger p, which, reacting upon the constant poles of the end coils, will cause reciprocation in accordance with the rate of alternation of the currents supplied to the central coil D through the rotating brush R and conductors 3 4 5.

In said Figs. 1 and 2 the outer terminal of the center coils are connected to the conductor uniting the end coils. lVith this disposition part of the current is diverted from one of the end coils at each reversal. In Figs. 3, 4, and 6, however, an arrangement is shown in which the currents supplied to the constantlymagnetized coils and to the alternating-current coils are entirely independent, neither adding to or detracting from the other. In said figures the diagrammatic form is departed from and the engines are shown in sectional elevation, with their exterior iron envelope in position. This is also true of Fig. 5. In said Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 all the motorcoils of each engine are inclosed within an iron tube or cylinder I, and said cylinder is in each instance provided with neatly-fitting iron heads J K. The coils are placed upon the inside of the cylinders l, and within the coils is placed a brass or other diamagnetic tube L, within which the plungers 1) may move freely. Asuitable piston-rod M is connected to each plunger and may be brought out through the head K through a stuffing-box or not, as desired.

The engines shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are similar to those already described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. The engine E of Fig. 3 is similar to that seen in Fig. 1,except that the commutator O is provided with two traveling brushes R R which are connected by conductors 6 '7 with the terminals of the central coil D, and as said brushes rotate around the commutator C they impart currents to said coil first in one direction, then in the other, causing the said coils to impart a constantly-reversing polarity to the plunger p, the rate of alternation depending, of course, upon the rate of travel of the brushes R R about the commutator.

The engine F, Fig. 4, corresponds electrically with the engine shown in Fig. 2, except that, as indicated in Fig. 3, two traveling brushes are shown upon the commutator C, an independent circuit extending from said brushes by conductors S 9 to the duplex central coil D the said coil acting upon its plunger, as described.

The commutator-brushes, whether single or double, may be driven by a separate motor or by any of the means set forth in my said prior patent. In Fig. 4, however, I have indicated a source of rotary motion at f, the said motor being connected by belt 0' to a sleeve 7" upon the axis of the commutator C. The moving brushes R R or a single brush B may be mechanically connected to this sleeve, and thus by the rotation of the pulley f be caused to travel about the commutator at the desired speed.

Fig. 6 shows another disposition of the coils of the reciprocating engine and also of the circuits for energizing the reciprocating plunger. The engine G is provided with two coils S T, said coils being of about equal dimensions. The commutor C is provided with main stationary positive and negative brushes a Z), which are connected by conductors 10 11 with the terminals of the coil S, and, supplying current of continuous direction thereto, maintain constant poles at the extremities of said coil. The other coil T is supplied by conductors 12 13 with an alternating current, so that constantly-reversed poles are set up at the extremities of said coil, which, magnetizing the plunger 19, will cause it to react upon the adjacent constant poles of the coil S and be reciprocated. In this instance, in-

stead of providing traveling commutator brushes moving about the periphery of the commutator, I provide the axis thereof with two annular contact-surfaces a b, which are insulated from each other and each separately connected to opposite sections (Z c of the commutator C. \Vith this arrangement the impulses of current sent to the coilTwill be in direct accordance with the rate of rotation of the commutator.

Fig. 5 shows another arrangement of the parts of my system. The engine H resembles, electrically, those shown and described with reference to Figs. 1 and 3, having a continuous-current coil at each end and one alternate-current coil at the center. The end coils are so arranged as to produce similar poles at their outer extremities. With this arrange ment I show two separate sources of current, one a contiimous-current generator 0, which ICC- is connected from its commutator-brushes by conductors 1 2 3 with the end coils A B. The other machine U has an armature of the Gramme type; but instead of asectional commutator it is provided with contact-rings a b, which are connected by wires 6 d with opposite points upon the winding of the armature u of the machine U. Collector-brushes g h engage the rings a b and are connected by conductors 12 13 with the terminals of the alternating-current coil D, which under the influence of the alternating currents supplied by the generator U constantly reverses the polarity of the plunger 19 of the machine H, causing said plunger to be reciprocated between the constant-current coils A B in accordance with the rate of rotation of the armature 10.

While I have shown the alternate-current coil or coils centrally located with respect to the continuous-current coil or coils, I do not limit myself to any such arrangement, since the said alternate current coils might be placed at the extremity of the machine and the continuous-current coils in the center with good results, the main object being attained by the use of continuously-magnetized coils and coils energized by alternating currents having a comparatively slow and clearly-defined rise and fall, and obviously these elements are not restricted to the specific relation shown. Furthermore, the exterior iron envelope may be modified to a considerable extent and still produce the efiects set forth.

It will be understood, of course, that the plungers p may be laminated or recessed or may be given any suitable shape to best fit them to respond to the reversals of polarity, and various minor modifications and changes may be made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. A reciprocating-electric-engine system comprising a plurality of motor-coils, a magneticplunger adapted to be reciprocated therethrough, a generator having an armature of the continuous-current type and sectional commutator, means for dividing the current of the generator, two separate and independent circuits extending between the generator and engine and each including part of the coils of the engine, and means for directing the divided current into said circuits.

2. A reciprocatingelectricengine system comprising a plurality of motor-coils, and a magnetic plunger adapted to be reciprocated theret-hrough, a source of continuous current, means for dividing the said current into currents of continuous direction and of alternating polarity, separate circuits, each including parts of the motor-coils, and means for directing the current of one character to one of said circuits and the current of different character to the other circuit, whereby current of one character is supplied to one part of the motor-coils and current of the other character to the remaining motor-coils.

3. An electro-magnetic reciprocating-engine system comprising motor-coils, a magnetic plunger adapted to be reciprocated therethrough, a generator of the continuous-current type having main stationary commutatorbrushes and a pair of auxiliary commutatorbrushes movable toward and away from the main stationary brushes, a circuit extending from the stationary brushes and including part of the motor-coils, and a separate and independent circuit extending from the moving brushes and including the other part of the motor-coils.

4. In a system of reciprocating electric engines, an engine having coils operated by continous currents and coils operated by alternating currents, an iron plunger magnetized by the alternating-current coil or coils and reciprocated by reaction upon the continuouscurrent coils, a generator arranged to give both continuous and alternating currents, and separate independent circuits between the continuous-current part of the generator and the continuous-current coils of the engine and between the alternating-current part of? the generator and the alternating-current coils ot the engine.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE.

Vitnesses:

FRANKLAND JANNUs, K, MoKEE. 

